The 2022-2023 Season Thread

[TheCatInTheHat]

Not trying to start any debates on lineups (our or others), as you'll be able to slide the dominoes around as players' fortunes rise and fall with health and other issues through the year. But, I just thought I'd consolidate the KenPom ranking with some preview magazine info regarding some of the key players we'll see this coming conference season.

10 ARIZONA
F AZOULAS TUBELIS 6-11 JR (1ST TEAM)
G KERR KRIISA 6-3 JR (2ND TEAM)
C OUMAR BALLO 7-0 JR (3RD TEAM)
G COURTNEY RAMEY 6-3 SR
F ADAMA BAL 6-6 SO

11 UCLA
G TYGER CAMPBELL 5-11 SR (1ST TEAM)
F JAMIE JAQUEZ 6-7 SR (1ST TEAM)
G AMARI BAILEY 6-5 FR
F ADEM BONA 6-10 FR
G JAYLEN CLARK 6-5 JR

29 OREGON
G WILL RICHARDSON 6-5 SR (1ST TEAM)
C N’FALY DANTE 6-11 SR
F QUINCY GUERRIER 6-8 SR
G JERMAINE COULSNARD 6-4 SR
G TYRONE WILLIAMS 6-5 JR

36 USC
G DREW PETERSON 6-9 SR (1ST TEAM)
G BOOGIE ELLIS 6-3 SR (2ND TEAM)
C VINCE IWUCHUKWU 7-0 FR
F KIJANI WRIGHT 6-9 FR
F TRE WHITE 6-6 FR

58 STANFORD
F SPENCER JONES 6-7 SR (2ND TEAM)
F HARRISON INGRAM 6-7 SO (3RD TEAM)
C JAMES KEEFE 6-9 SR
G MICHAEL O’CONNELL 6-2 JR
G ISA SILVA 6-4 SO

61 COLORADO
F TRISTAN DA SILVA 6-9 JR (2ND TEAM)
G K.J. SIMPSON 6-2 SO (3RD TEAM)
G NIQUE CLIFFORD 6-6 JR
F QUINCY ALLEN 6-8 RS-FR
G J’VONNE HADLEY 6-6 JR

71 WASHINGTON ST
F MOUHAMED GUEYE 6-11 SO (3RD TEAM)
G T.J. BAMBA 6-5 JR
C DISHON JACKSON 6-10 JR
G JABE MULLINS 6-6 JR
G JUSTIN POWELL 6-6 JR

72 UTAH
C BRANDEN CARLSON 7-0 SR (2ND TEAM)
G ROLLIE WORSTER 6-4 JR
G MARCO ANTHONY 6-6 SR
G LAZAR STEFANOVIC 6-7 SO
F BEN CARLSON 6-9 JR

75 ARIZONA ST
G D.J. HORNE 6-1 JR (3RD TEAM)
G DESMOND CAMBRIDGE 6-4 SR
G FRANKIE COLLINS 6-1 SO
F MARCUS BAGLEY 6-8 JR
C ALONZO GAFFNEY 6-9 SR

113 WASHINGTON
G JAMAL BEY 6-6 SR
F KEION BROOKS 6-7 SR
G KOREN JOHNSON 6-2 FR
G NOAH WILLIAMS 6-5 SR
C FRANCK KEPNANG 6-11 JR

146 CALIFORNIA
G JOEL BROWN 6-3 SR
G JALEN CELESTINE 6-7 JR
G DEJUAN CLAYTON 6-2 SR
F KUANY KUANY 6-9 SR
C LARS THIEMANN 7-1 SR

228 OREGON ST
F GLENN TAYLOR 6-6 SO
G CHRISTIAN WRIGHT 6-3 SO
G DEXTER AKANNO 6-5 JR
F RODRIQUE ANDELA 6-9 SR
C CHOL MARIAL 7-2 JR

[Merkin]

Saw someone hyping Larsson as Pac POY. Maybe it was Lloyd?

[UAEebs86]

Saw someone hyping Larsson as Pac POY. Maybe it was Lloyd?

I think it was DPOY Lloyd was saying.

[EastCoastCat]

Are those starting line-ups? If so Pelle is starting and is making all Pac.

[arizonawildcats]

#17 in AP's preseason poll

[84Cat]

[RondaeShimmy]

[dmjcat]

[Merkin]

[azgreg]

[TheCatInTheHat]

Figured I'd be remiss if I didn't do the same roster routine for our top non-conference opponents (assuming chalk in Maui, which is a big assumption.) Again, this follows KenPom pre-season rankings and info from the preview mags.

4. TENNESSEE
G SANTIAGO VESCOVI 6-3 SR
G ZAKAI ZEIGLER 5-9 SO
F OLIVIER NKAMHOUA 6-8 SR
C UROS PLAVSIC 7-0 SR
F JULIAN PHILLIPS 6-8 FR

12. INDIANA
F TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS 6-9 JR
G XAVIER JOHNSON 6-3 SR
F RACE THOMPSON 6-8 SR
F MILLER KOPP 6-7 SR
G JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO 6-6 FR

14. ARKANSAS
F JORDAN WALSH 6-7 FR
G ANTHONY BLACK 6-7 FR
G NICK SMITH 6-5 FR
F TREVON BRAZILE 6-10 SO
C MAKHEL MITCHELL 6-10 SR

19. SAN DIEGO STATE
G MATT BRADLEY 6-4 SR
G LAMONT BUTLER 6-2 JR
F KESHAD JOHNSON 6-7 SR
F NATHAN MENSAH 6-10 SR
F AGUEK AROP 6-6 SR

51. CINCINNATI
G DAVID DEJULIUS 6-0 SR
G LANDERS NELLEY 6-7 SR
F JEREMIAH DAVENPORT 6-7 JR
G MIKE ADAMS-WOODS 6-3 JR
C VICTOR LAKHIN 6-11 SO

[Beachcat97]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... p-players/

I'm seeing a great deal of consensus, among writers, in terms of how the Pac will turn out this season, including POY, FOY, all-conference honors, and of course predicted order of finish. Everyone and their sister picked ucla to win the Pac last season, and look how that turned out. But I do think this bruin team is even more loaded than last year's. Losing Juzang is addition by subtraction, imo.

[FreeSpiritCat]

I am becoming excited about the upcoming season. Arizona is undeerrated...again. And as much as I can see the talent we have, the biggest talent is rarely mentioned. And that is the coaching staff.

I believe Tommy Lloyd will be considered one of the best coaches in the country within the next 5 years. He may be the best overall coach now. Of course there is Mark Few and Tom Izzo. They may be the best 2 right now. There is a good possibility both will retire within 5 years.

After seeing what Courtney Ramey said, and now reading about Adama Ball, I can see that Arizona is a developmental skill school. How many schools can say they are able to develop skills that will send their players to the next level. Other schools get almost all the top 5 star players. And yes, they develop skills. What I saw in the development of Arizona players last season was amazing. I was in awe.

Obviously I want others to chime in. The total coaching staff at Arizona may be the best in the country. Tommy Lloyd, Jack Murphy, Steve Robinson, Riccardo Fois is top notch. All of them for different reasons.

Tommy Lloyd is a student of how Lute Olson coached. Gonzaga is a problem whose roots are Lute Olson basketball. Tommy Lloyd is a natural fit for Arizona. IMO, he was meant to coach here.

Jack Murphy was a head basketball coach, and is now the associate head basketball coach (Jim Rosborough). From what I gather he is a cool human being who can develop talent.

Steve Robinson was an assistant under Roy Williams. Roy was one of the best. He understands the secondary fast break.

Ricarrdo Fois may be the best assistant coach of all the others. Lloyd brought Fois with him. I believe he knows pro basketball better than any of the other assistants.

And when you add Christopher Rounds...

I am so looking forward to this season. I may not see a live game, unless they come to the east coast. But I don't want to miss a game. This team will develop as the season progresses. My love for college basketball is to see the players develop. That has always what has made college basketball special to me.

I may have to record games because of the times they are played, but I won't miss one. Arizona basketball is worth every penny now. They are entertaining to watch. This is going to be a fun season.

[CardiacCats97]

I believe Tommy Lloyd will be considered one of the best coaches in the country within the next 5 years. He may be the best overall coach now.

That’s a bold statement based on just one year of work as a head coach.

[84Cat]

Do you have a link to the Adama Bal story? The Courtney Ramey piece caught my attention too. That was really cool to hear him talk about the differences between UA and Texas.

[FreeSpiritCat]

Do you have a link to the Adama Bal story? The Courtney Ramey piece caught my attention too. That was really cool to hear him talk about the differences between UA and Texas.

The Adama Bal story is at Wildcat Authority and behind a paywall.

[FreeSpiritCat]

I believe Tommy Lloyd will be considered one of the best coaches in the country within the next 5 years. He may be the best overall coach now.

That’s a bold statement based on just one year of work as a head coach.

I guess technically he is a 1 year head coach, but he has really been a co-head coach for awhile at Gonzaga

[CardiacCats97]

I believe Tommy Lloyd will be considered one of the best coaches in the country within the next 5 years. He may be the best overall coach now.

That’s a bold statement based on just one year of work as a head coach.

I guess technically he is a 1 year head coach, but he has really been a co-head coach for awhile at Gonzaga

I think we should allow him to run his own program for a few years before anchoring him with the expectation of being the best college coach in America.

[Merkin]

Doing a twitter search for "adama bal" finds some interesting posts. Greg, take note!

[Beachcat97]

Anyone feel like posting a predicted record and outcome for the season? Are we there yet? I suppose we may wanna see how they look against actual competition first, but it's also interesting to give a prediction based solely on the roster (and remaining fully healthy!).

[KaibabKat]

Top 10 and Pac-12 coaches rated going into 2022-23 season (uses same formula I have posted in prior years based on NCAA tournament performance, regular season championships won, and winning percentage - normalized for #years as D1 head coach):

1. Hubert Davis
2. Tom Izzo
3. John Calipari
4. Bill Self
5. Rick Pitino
6. Mark Few
7. Chris Beard
8. Tommy Lloyd
9. Thad Matta
10. Jim Boeheim

24. Mick Cronin
31. Dana Altman
47. Andy Enfield
74. Wayne Tinkle
87. Mark Fox
103. Craig Smith
105. Bobby Hurley
110. Mike Hopkins
151. Jerod Hasse
160. Tad Boyle
229. Kyle Smith

[TheCatInTheHat]

Anyone feel like posting a predicted record and outcome for the season? Are we there yet? I suppose we may wanna see how they look against actual competition first, but it's also interesting to give a prediction based solely on the roster (and remaining fully healthy!).

This is a no-win proposition, where one guy jumps in with "whaddareyounuts?...they're winning it all this year", and some other crystal ball expert issues some conjured 27-point treatise as a proof of superior enlightenment. Anyway, in response to the request, here's a number based on the stated ground rules. When you've lost three legit NBA talents like Mathurin, Koloko, and Terry, I think you have to acknowledge some impact, regardless of how good we feel about a re-mixed team. Looking through the schedule, Carnac says the resulting record (through the NCAAs) looks like 28-9.

[EastCoastCat]

100-0

[Beachcat97]

Anyone feel like posting a predicted record and outcome for the season? Are we there yet? I suppose we may wanna see how they look against actual competition first, but it's also interesting to give a prediction based solely on the roster (and remaining fully healthy!).

This is a no-win proposition, where one guy jumps in with "whaddareyounuts?...they're winning it all this year", and some other crystal ball expert issues some conjured 27-point treatise as a proof of superior enlightenment. Anyway, in response to the request, here's a number based on the stated ground rules. When you've lost three legit NBA talents like Mathurin, Koloko, and Terry, I think you have to acknowledge some impact, regardless of how good we feel about a re-mixed team. Looking through the schedule, Carnac says the resulting record (through the NCAAs) looks like 28-9.

Wasn't trying to inflict distress. Just trying to see how people think we'll do this year. Feel free to stay on the sidelines going forward.

Predicted wins in bold:

Nov 7, 2022 Nicholls St.

Nov 11, 2022 Southern U.

Nov 17, 2022 Utah Tech

Nov 21, 2022 Cincinnati

Dec 1, 2022 @Utah

Dec 4, 2022 California

Dec 10, 2022 @(13)Indiana

Dec 13, 2022 Texas A&M-CC

Dec 17, 2022 (11)Tennessee

Dec 20, 2022 Montana St.

Dec 22, 2022 Morgan St.

Dec 31, 2022 @Arizona St.

Jan 5, 2023 Washington

Jan 7, 2023 Washington St.

Jan 12, 2023 @Oregon St.

Jan 14, 2023 @(21)Oregon

Jan 19, 2023 USC

Jan 21, 2023 (8)UCLA

Jan 26, 2023 @Washington St.

Jan 28, 2023 @Washington

Feb 2, 2023 (21)Oregon

Feb 4, 2023 Oregon St.

Feb 9, 2023 @California

Feb 11, 2023 @Stanford

Feb 16, 2023 Utah

Feb 18, 2023 Colorado

Feb 25, 2023 Arizona St.

Mar 2, 2023 @USC

Mar 4, 2023 @(8)UCLA

Final regular season record: 23-5

This total doesn't include all the Maui Invitational games, only our first one vs. Cincy.

[TheCatInTheHat]

Wasn't trying to inflict distress. Just trying to see how people think we'll do this year. Feel free to stay on the sidelines going forward.

Interesting. My life is almost perfect, so zero distress possible; you got a response, so you were able to display your work (you're welcome); and I do feel free (within various legal and regulatory constraints), so life is good.

[Alieberman]

I'm not sure how one pre-season predicts outcomes of each game after losing its top 3 players?

I have no idea what to expect from this team.

[Beachcat97]

Wasn't trying to inflict distress. Just trying to see how people think we'll do this year. Feel free to stay on the sidelines going forward.

Interesting. My life is almost perfect, so zero distress possible; you got a response, so you were able to display your work (you're welcome); and I do feel free (within various legal and regulatory constraints), so life is good.

Bear down!

[BBQ wildcat]

I'm not sure how one pre-season predicts outcomes of each game after losing its top 3 players?

I have no idea what to expect from this team.

Same here. We lost a whole lot of talent, and I'm not sure the returning players (overall) come close to what we lost. Over 25 wins and I will be fine.

[CardiacCats97]

I'm not sure how one pre-season predicts outcomes of each game after losing its top 3 players?

I have no idea what to expect from this team.

Especially since those were our three most athletic players and we play a fast pace style. I bet we’ll win 20+ games but I have no clue other than that.

[NickyBCats]

3 20 minute halves against St Mary’s today. We won all 3. Last one was walk ons and bench guys. All I got so far.

[Beachcat97]

It only makes sense to predict season outcomes after we've seen the team play several games. Doing so now requires looking at the roster, looking at our schedule, and making reasonable projections given the available info. And really, who has time for that?

Bear down!

[FreeSpiritCat]

It only makes sense to predict season outcomes after we've seen the team play several games. Doing so now requires looking at the roster, looking at our schedule, and making reasonable projections given the available info. And really, who has time for that?

Bear down!

I don’t think we will really know where the Cats stand until after Maui.

[Beachcat97]

It only makes sense to predict season outcomes after we've seen the team play several games. Doing so now requires looking at the roster, looking at our schedule, and making reasonable projections given the available info. And really, who has time for that?

Bear down!

I don’t think we will really know where the Cats stand until after Maui.

I think we'll reach the championship game.

[azgreg]

[dmjcat]

[gronk4heisman]

I predict that since we only play Stanford once this season we should have fewer injuries.

[KaibabKat]

We're #3, we're #3 - https://haslametrics.com/
1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Arizona
4. Kentucky
5. Kansas
6. North Carolina
7. Houston
8. Tennessee
9. Duke
10. Villanova

Final Four or Bust!

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Can't believe it's only like 2 ish weeks away!!!!!!!!!!

Yeeeeessssßsßssssssßssssss

[azgreg]

[CardiacCats97]

Looks like Pelle could be an awesome TE.

[Merkin]

Looks like Pelle could be an awesome TE.

Fendi Onubun played TE on a lot of pro scout teams after his basketball days were over.

[Beachcat97]

Pelle is going to have a pro career. Think it's obvious. He has the size and skill to play pro ball somewhere. Not sure about NBA, but he'll do well in any other league.

[RichardCranium]

Looks like Pelle could be an awesome TE.

Fendi Onubun played TE on a lot of pro scout teams after his basketball days were over.

He should have come to Australia and tried Aussie Rules. Mohamed Tangara should have done the same thing.

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Dude, Gronk looks like the giddiest one there. Which is awesome!!!!
He always seems like a nice dude who doesn't take himself that seriously

Great to see that.

[Beachcat97]

Dude, Gronk looks like the giddiest one there. Which is awesome!!!!
He always seems like a nice dude who doesn't take himself that seriously

Great to see that.

Gronk was once on Shark Tank with his brothers. Of course Cuban and Daymond knew who he was; not sure the others did. But Gronk played it as if he was any other ST contestant. Not even the tiniest bit of celebrity vibe or arrogance. Total humility and respect for the series' norms.

[TheCat]

That was for an insulated cup for protein shakes I believe. The Sharks only complain was it needed to be called Gronk and they would invest. He was in business with his brothers and one of them made the pitch. Not the center of attention for sure.

[Beachcat97]

Sorry to get off topic...we have an actual basketball game one week from today!

[dmjcat]

[Beachcat97]

When was the last time we made it through a season without a critical injury or player suspension?

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Well, I'll take a 3 game suspension in the first three games for a guy who might or might not start if that is our bad luck for the year.